Choices
by jellybeanpink84
Summary: For years Edward and Alice were the two single Cullens, but now Edward has Bella and Alice is alone. Set after Twilight during the summertime, what happens when Alice's mate finally finds her? Will he be able to fit in with the Cullen Family in Forks or will Alice be forced to choose between her newfound mate and her family. Rated M for Mature Content, This is an A x J story.
1. One

_*** All Twilight references and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, all other characters, plot changes, etc are just fun things that I like to play with. **_

_*** This story is rated M for mature scenes.**_

*** _This is a new story and I want to let you know off the bat that it is not one of my main stories, so updating will be a little less frequent, maybe once a week or every other week._**

"Come on Edward... it's going to be a great storm and there aren't any other vampires in the area! Please!" I turned my full pout on him, knowing that he couldn't resist it, he never could from the first day that I found him and Carlisle.

"Alice... I'm sure you can understand why I'm not comfortable taking Bella to another baseball game... besides she still has the cast on her leg, it won't be comfortable for her." Edward replied cautiously and I immediately felt guilty. It had been me that had been in charge of keeping her safe while the rest of the family hunted down the sadistic vampire that was after her, but she had managed to evade me and my visions and get hurt anyways, something that I would never stop feeling guilty about.

_Please Edward! If you ask Bella, she'll want to come. _I told him mentally, keeping the pout plastered on my face until I saw his eyes shift, he didn't need to tell me, I knew that I had already one the debate.

"If anything happens Alice..."

"I know! I promise, nothing will happen this time! Game starts at 3pm, we'll meet you at the clearing!" I bounded out of Bella's room, knowing that I had to get the rest of the family on board still. It wouldn't be too difficult now that Edward had agreed to play, the rest of the family would be fine once I explained that he was coming, this was exactly what we needed to lighten the mood in the family again after the incident in Phoenix.

Not only did I want to lighten the mood of the family again, I wanted to feel a part of it again. Since our return to Forks after Edward almost lost his mate, all of the couples had been spending every spare minute they had alone, appreciating their partners and the fact that they could lose them if they weren't careful. I was lonely though without having a mate and missed the time that we had previously spent as a family and was hoping that another baseball game would solve that.

For years Edward and I had been the two single members of the Cullen Family. We had 'grown up' in this lifestyle together, Edward having been turned by Carlisle in 1918 and me waking up from the change in 1920. I had no memory of my past or who changed me, but visions of the Cullens which caused me to find my new family only weeks after waking up. Carlisle and Edward took me into their family right away, and Edward and I bonded instantly, both of us understanding the burdens of the talents that the other possessed. As the family grew larger, Carlisle finding Esme, Rosalie, and then Emmett both Edward and I remained single and best friends. But now that Edward had found Bella I was finding it increasingly difficult to be alone.

"Baseball in the clearing at three-o-clock!" My voice chimed out as soon as I entered the house. I could hear Carlisle chuckle in his study at my obvious excitement, Emmett and Rosalie barely paused their activities when I spoke, Emmett muttering a quick 'yeah' before Rosalie pulled his attention back to her.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea Alice." Esme's voice was filled with concern as she came down the stairs and moved towards the kitchen.

"Esme, we haven't played since... well since the incident with the nomads, it'll be fun. I miss playing games as a family." I told her honestly and saw her think it through, my visions flashing at the different possibilities that Esme was considering.

"Edward and Bella are coming... I already asked them." I smiled brightly at her and she relaxed as soon as I mentioned Edward.

"Alright... you're sure that there is nobody in the area? No surprises?" Esme asked and I shut my eyes, now that everyone had agreed to play it was easier to get a solid vision on the game.

"I'm sure!" I answered and gave her a hug before bouncing out of the kitchen and up to my room to change before going back to Bella's house.

When I got back to Bella's house she was already up and dressed, Edward helping her make her way down to the kitchen table. I let myself in and could barely contain my excitement for the afternoon baseball game.

After I got there Edward excused himself to go and hunt – he had been leaving it far too long since the accident – and I got to stay and keep Bella company. As she ate her breakfast I asked about the baseball game and she told me that her and Edward had talked about it and were fine to go, but if she wanted to leave I had to let them. I agreed completely, confident that nothing was going to interrupt the family day that I had planned.

The time seemed to creep by even slower than usual as we waited for Edward to return from hunting and I tried to pass it with a make-over which Bella turned down, threatening to cancel coming to the game if I tried to force the issue. It was a hard decision to make on my part but I wanted family time and knew that I would have many opportunities to make over Bella in the future.

"Alright guys, teams are as follows: Edward, Emmett, Esme against Carlisle, Rosalie, and myself." I called out as we approached the rest of the family in the clearing. Emmett had already set up the bases and Edward had helped Bella to get settled on a pile of blankets that we had brought from her. Quickly Carlisle and Rosalie took the field while I stepped up to the pitcher's mound, Edward grabbing a bat and hitting first.

The game was going the way I had seen in my vision. We had broken multiple balls and bats as we usually did, Emmett and Edward were teasing each other relentlessly, and we were all laughing and having fun – even Bella who was sitting off to the side and heckling some of us herself.

"Oh crap." I was up to bat myself when the vision hit me and I knew instantly that this was not good, Edward was going to kill me himself.

"Alice!" he growled as he raced to Bella's side, picking her up and supporting her weight while she leaned against him.

"They're here..." my voice tapered off as the three figures entered the clearing, the stances casual but on guard.

The entire family immediately went into protective mode forming a tight line in front of Edward and Bella, our demeanor not exactly inviting.

"We mean you no harm, we come in peace." the female voice spoke loudly with a southern accent and I let my eyes drift across the three figures, taking them in before my mind was vaulted back, back to the first few days after my change.

"_Alice, what do you see?" Edward asked as I was pulled back out of a vision. I had only been with him and Carlisle for about a week and I was finally learning to control my visions, not seeing things unless I called them, aside from a few visions that seemed firmer than the rest._

"_A man... a bunch of different things... I don't really know." I told him and I didn't... I couldn't understand what the flashing of images involving this man were. _

"_Did you understand what that was?" I asked Edward, hoping that if he had watched through my mind, he would be able to sort it out._

"_No, it was all really fast, but it was all involving that one man. I think he's going to be important in your life some how." Edward answered and I shook my head, trying to forget what I had just seen._

"It's him." I whispered to Edward and saw him look at me curiously. I opened up my mind, repeating the original vision from so many years ago.

As we all stood in silence staring at the newcomers, waiting for them to make the first move, I felt suddenly calmer, my defenses going slack, my energy come bouncing back as I remembered that this person was going to be important in my life.


	2. Two

_*** All Twilight references and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, all other characters, plot changes, etc are just fun things that I like to play with. **_

_*** This story is rated M for mature scenes.**_

_**As we all stood in silence staring at the newcomers, waiting for them to make the first move, I felt suddenly calmer, my defenses going slack, my energy come bouncing back as I remembered that this person was going to be important in my life. **_

"Baseball?" It wasn't what any of us were expecting to hear come out of his mouth and I giggled slightly at the confused look on all of their faces.

"Yes, my family and I were in the middle of a game just now." Carlisle answered diplomatically, his defenses still up, his crouch never relaxing.

"Family?" The woman asked curiously and I looked over to her. She was tiny like me, but other than that I could sense that we were nothing alike. She was... she was wild. It was obvious in her posture, her eyes, her voice.

"Yes, this is my family." Carlisle answered simply and I heard Edward growl from beside Bella, something the strangers had thought probably upsetting him.

"I apologize if we appear to be any threat, we were just passing through the area." The blond man from my visions spoke out again. The calm feeling was surrounding me completely and I tried to remain defensive but found myself pulling out of my crouch and standing normally as did everyone else aside from Edward.

"If you wouldn't mind, we would appreciate it if you stopped sending waves of calm at us." Edward hissed through his teeth and I saw Carlisle look briefly his way before turning his attention back to the visitors, the calm feeling we had experienced not quite gone, but definitely toned down.

"We should get out of here Jasper." the second male voice his opinion as Jasper assessed our family, looking at each of their faces before his gaze landed on mine and I couldn't stop the gasp as I locked eyes with his. I had seen the scars that marred his body in both my vision and upon their arrival, the sight of them shocking and slightly frightening to me, but his face... his eyes... something about him almost drew me to him, caused me to take a small step forward before I realized it and caught myself.

"I'm Alice." I spoke out suddenly, my hand popping up to cover my mouth. The blond man named Jasper continued to stare at me for a few minutes, the corner of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as he fought back a smile.

"Alice?" Edward hissed at me and I turned to glare at him.

"Is that a human?" the second male asked and I turned back to the trio, their faces matching in their surprise.

"Yes. She is human, and she's with us." Emmett growled defensively, moving to completely block her from their sight.

"You said you were passing through? Where did you come from?" I asked to try and break the tension, earning a hard look from Carlisle... I knew as well as the rest of us did that Carlisle was the leader and in any confrontation with another coven we were supposed to let him take the lead.

"We're from the south originally... but we've been wandering further north for the past several months, enjoying the cloud cover and rain." The woman replied to my question and I saw her eyes flash to the second male, worry shadowed within them.

"Part of the wars?" Carlisle asked before I could say anything else and I understood instantly... all those scars... those bites... these vampires were even more dangerous than James and his little coven had been.

"Yes, although we don't live that life any longer." Jasper replied, his lips tight and a look of hatred crossing across his features.

"Your eyes... you are the odd ones? The ones that we heard about, the ones who don't drink from humans?" the second male asked and Carlisle replied with a simple yes.

"Jasper, enough, let's get out of their territory, I don't want to fight." the woman pleaded with Jasper quietly while Jasper's gaze again focused on my face.

"Peter... Char... I'd actually like to ask this coven some questions about their lifestyle if it's alright with them." Jasper looked from me to Carlisle and then back to me again and I nearly started jumping up and down in excitement.

"Of course, would you all like to come back to the house with us and we can speak there?" Carlisle asked and glanced towards Edward as Jasper nodded his head.

"Yes, we'll follow you." Jasper replied and I watched as the other two vampires stared at him in shock.

"Jasper?" the second man – Peter – questioned and Jasper looked at him, a sort of silent conversation passing between them.

"Alright, let's head back to the house then." Carlisle spoke again and began to jog out of the clearing, the three strangers following him, Emmett and Esme and I taking up the rear while Rosalie and Edward took Bella home.

It didn't take us long to reach the back door of the house and Carlisle held it open for the three visitors as they entered into the living room, their faces full of appreciation.

"Please, have a seat." Carlisle gestured towards the center of the room and sat down himself on the leather chair at the head of the room, Esme and I sitting on the sofa to his right while Emmett stood protectively behind us.

"We haven't properly introduced ourselves," Jasper's southern accent almost seemed to be coming out stronger the more he spoke and I was quite enjoying the sound of his voice. "My name is Jasper Whitlock, this is Peter and this is Charlotte." he gestured to the two others who smiled politely through their obvious discomfort.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme, my daughter Alice and my son Emmett." Carlisle pointed briefly at each of us but Jasper's eyes never left my face.

"Major Jasper Whitlock?" Carlisle's startled reply broke me away from his face and I turned to look at my father figure who was sitting in a state of shock.

"Yes sir," Jasper answered and I watched as he hung his head in defeat, his reputation obviously not something that he was proud of.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how is it you were able to leave the south? I know that it is extremely difficult to get out of the wars alive, but with your reputation it must have been nearly impossible." Carlisle asked Jasper curiously, his voice giving barely giving off a hint of admiration.

"It wasn't easy, and it was only very recent. I helped Peter and Charlotte get out a few years ago so they came back and returned the favor, helping me to see that there is another life out here, away from the fighting." his answer was vague and left me with so many more questions that I wanted to ask, but Carlisle was quicker.

"Back at the field, the strange calm... that was you?" he asked and I thought back to the way the calm feeling just kind of overtook my body, forcing me to relax against my will.

"Yes, I am one of few vampires born with an additional ability. Most people refer to me as an empath... I can both feel and manipulate the emotions around me." Jasper answered honestly and I couldn't stop myself from smiling up at him, his eyes once again catching mine.

"An empath... that is amazing." Carlisle was already absorbed in thoughts of Jasper's ability and questions that he could ask him, but Jasper was quick to return to the point of their visit back to the house.

"Yes, I am an empath, which brings me back to my reason for coming back to your house with you." he began and I shifted so that I was facing him head on, not wanting to miss one word that was going to come out of this man's mouth.

"One of the main reason's that I left was because it was getting extremely difficult to deal with the emotions of those around me, even still I'm finding that I have a hard time with my... meals. I was wondering how it would differ to try your way of life... to attempt to hunt only animals instead of humans?" he asked and I felt my heart swell up, my body almost vibrating in excitement.

"It takes a great deal of restraint to hunt only animals... as I'm sure you are aware, our thirst is incessant, and with only living off of animals it is even more so. However we feel that the benefits greatly out weigh the negatives. Feeding off of animals allows us to maintain a permanent residence for a few years at a time, our bonds in our family are stronger..." Carlisle was explaining it but I tuned out as I watched Jasper's face intently.

He really did seem interested in this life, his descriptions of the pain that he felt whenever he killed a human pulling at my heart. But even more so I felt that if he could stay and if he could change his lifestyle then maybe... just maybe he might give me a chance.

When I turned my head away from Jasper's face I was surprised to see Charlotte glaring at me, her face a mixture of anger and annoyance. Immediately I disliked her and found myself fighting against a growl, trying to regain control of my emotions which were strangely all over the place.

"Do you mind if I ask... if you don't hunt the humans, why was there one at the baseball clearing this evening?" Peter asked with a smirk and again, I felt myself disliking this man.

"She's mated with my son Edward, we're merely waiting until she is a little older to change her." Carlisle spoke calmly but I could tell he was not happy with the way the conversation had turned, he was more protective of Bella than ever before, we all were.

"Interesting." Peter smirked again and I watched as Jasper turned around to glare at him.

"Enough Peter... I know that you and Charlotte are uncomfortable here... did you want to head back south to the cabin and I'll catch up to you?" Jasper asked the couple who almost seemed to melt with relief at the suggestion before they stood up, ready to leave immediately.

"You are more than welcome to stay here for a few days and try it out, if you like it we can help you settle down, become accustomed to the diet." Esme spoke for the first time since the clearing, her warmth more inviting than anything I'd ever come across.

"I think Charlotte and I will continue onto the cabin, are you sure you want to stay Jazz?" Peter replied, reading Jasper's face for the answer.

"If they will have me as a guest, I'd like to learn more about my options." Jasper replied and looked at me before looking back at his friends.

"I have to ask..."

"Don't worry, we respect your territory and won't hunt within the area." Peter looked to Carlisle and I smiled in relief, I was glad they were leaving the area and it looked like the rest of the family agreed with me.

"Are you sure you want to stay Major?" Charlotte asked sweetly and I suddenly felt like smacking her as she placed her arms around Jasper in a tight hug.

"Yes... this may be what I need right now. I will give you a call in a few days and keep you updated." Jasper whispered and then she took Peter's hand and they left the house, flying down the driveway and disappearing into the night.


	3. Three

_*** All Twilight references and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, all other characters, plot changes, etc are just fun things that I like to play with. **_

_*** This story is rated M for mature scenes.**_

"_**Yes... this may be what I need right now. I will give you a call in a few days and keep you updated." Jasper whispered and then she took Peter's hand and they left the house, flying down the driveway and disappearing into the night.**_

The room stayed silent for several minutes after Peter and Charlotte had left, the air heavy with unspoken questions, curiosities that neither side wanted to be the first to voice out loud.

When we sat back down, I found I that I was once again glued to Jasper's face, memorizing ever inch of him, every feature, every scar. My heart fluttering when my gaze drifted down over the long-sleeved fitted black t-shirt he was wearing, the way it molded to his body showing off his curves making me feel as though I should be blushing.

"I apologize if Peter and Charlotte seemed to be rude at all, they are nomads in ever sense of the word. Since they left the southern wars, they much prefer to be alone together." Jasper apologized after he had pulled his eyes away from me and back to Carlisle.

"That's quite alright, we understand that it is part of our nature to be alone or paired off." Carlisle said and Jasper looked curiously around the room.

"How is it that your... family... is able to live peacefully, with so many others so close all of the time?" he asked and I saw Esme smile warmly again.

"It's because of our diet, abstaining from human blood allows us to form stronger bonds with each other, form a true family." Esme explained and Jasper's eyes wandered back to my own.

This was killing me. Something about him made me want to move closer to him. To stand up from my seat, walk across the living room and curl up into his side. It was taking every bit of control that I had to stay seated and not go to him.

While Carlisle, Esme and Jasper continued to ask each other questions I focused inside my own mind, trying to get a read on Jasper's future as a way to distract myself from going to him. But as I closed my eyes and focused, I became almost instantly frustrated as I realized that I couldn't see anything from him, the only thing my mind able to find being the same set of images I had seen nearly a century earlier.

"Are you alright Alice?" Esme asked me with concern and I snapped my eyes open, looking over to her, my lips pursed together tightly.

"I'm fine Esme, I'm just having some trouble with my vision." I said quickly before returning my attention back to the conversation in the room, my lack of foresight when it came to Jasper still irritating me.

"When did you last hunt?" Carlisle asked Jasper and I watched as Jasper looked down guiltily.

"It's been about three days, I've been attempting to go for longer periods between feeding." he answered with a grimace and I understood what he wasn't saying. He had been telling Carlisle that he could feel everything that his prey would feel, it was starting to wear him down, causing him a great deal of distress.

"With our lifestyle, we try not to go longer than about two weeks without feeding. But when you first come into this diet, you will probably find that you will need to hunt every couple of days. As I said earlier, it is a very rewarding lifestyle, but it is extremely difficult to maintain it." Carlisle said and Jasper nodded thoughtfully.

"I understand and I would like to try if you are truly willing to help me. This might be what I have been searching for since leaving Maria's army." he spoke thoughtfully and I felt a shiver roll down my spine at the way he said her name, his tongue dripping with disdain.

"There are just a couple more things that we need you to be aware of before you decide that you want to stay." I nodded my head as I saw Edward panic-stricken and throwing clothes in a bag in Bella's room.

"The first is that our son Edward, is with Bella – the human. She is not to be harmed in any way, she is protected member of our family and we will not tolerate any threats to her life." Carlisle's voice was harsh as he issued this warning and I glared at him, I was just as worried about Bella, but Jasper didn't seem to be interested in her at all. "The second is that we are neighbors with a local native tribe, they are shape-shifters that many years ago took the form of a wolf. It appears that the gene that forces them to change died out a couple of generations ago, but we do have an agreement with them which involves us staying off of their land. One of us will show you the treaty line and we expect you to abide by it." he finished his expectations.

"I understand, and you have my word that I will not harm the human and I will not cross the treaty line." his voice was serious as he looked at Carlisle, confirming that he wanted to stay and I was internally jumping for joy, glad that he had not been scared off by Carlisle's warnings.

As Carlisle continued to speak again, Jasper's eyes came back to my own and he caught me by surprise when he offered my a quick wink and I smiled brightly, my body warming at the twinkle in his eye.

"Excuse me," I muttered breathlessly, standing suddenly and making my way back outside and to the edge of the forest where I sat in the ground, not caring how dirty I got, just needing to breath the fresh air and sort out the strange connection that I was feeling to this stranger.

"So do you feel it Alice?" I heard Esme ask from beside me and turned to see her coming towards me, a wide smile on her face as she got closer and I smiled back.

"Do I feel what?" I asked, not looking into the future, just wanting to have a normal conversation with my mother-figure.

"The pull, something that makes you want to run to him and jump into his arms constantly." she said and I laughed lightly, understanding what she was implying.

"I felt it the second I looked into his eyes... it took every ounce of strength not to curl up next to him on the sofa in there." I admitted to her sheepishly. "How did you know?" I asked her as she sat down on the ground next to me.

"I saw you take a step towards him in the clearing... and then you spoke to him when you really shouldn't have... and then inside, you kept leaning subconsciously towards him and had to keep pulling yourself back." she smiled again and I leaned into her side, needing my mother to hug me while I worked through my emotions.

"Can I tell you something about my visions?" I asked a minute later, the idea that I couldn't see much from Jasper's future still bothering me.

"Alice, I meant to talk to you about that, I know that nothing happened but you should have been truthful with us about the visitors at the clearing. I'm very upset that you felt that you needed to lie to us about it." Esme spoke harshly, the light teasing tone in her voice gone.

"Esme... I didn't see them coming. Honestly. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I really didn't see anything about Jasper and the others coming to the clearing, and I can't see Jasper at all. I've been trying off and on all evening but when I focus on the future and try to see his, I get absolutely nothing. I saw Peter and Charlotte arrive at the cabin they were talking about almost as soon as they made the decision to go, but I've got nothing from Jasper's future. It's really worrying me." I explained and her face softened instantly.

"I'm sorry Alice, I should have asked before jumping to conclusions." she apologized and I smiled up at her to let her know it was alright. I knew that I had been guilty in the past of using my visions to manipulate situations, but this time I was innocent.

"About your visions, or lack of visions, maybe there's something that Carlisle can look into. Maybe it's some sort of block between mated couples... after all Edward can't read Bella's mind, maybe it's just something that happens." she suggested and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess it's possible, but I could still feel it when he was sending that calming feeling to us in the clearing so I don't think that I'm immune to his gift... I wonder if he can feel anything from me though?" I said out loud, Esme humming in reply.

The two of us sat outside for a little while in peace, talking a little bit more about my sudden connection to Jasper and sharing our hopes that he would be able to adapt easily to our lifestyle. When we finally stood and made our way back to the house my thoughts drifted to Edward and what he would think of the situation, I knew he definitely wouldn't be welcoming. To him, any other vampire was going to be a threat to her, and he might be angry at us for allowing Jasper the chance to stay at the house.

"I'm going to run upstairs and get changed," I laughed to Esme as I gestured to my muddy baseball outfit as we reached the house and she nodded, following me through the living room and upstairs towards the bedrooms.

"Where did they go?" I felt a hollowness in my chest as we passed the empty living room, the faint scent of Jasper still lingering in the air.

"Carlisle just took him out to show him the treaty line and introduce him to our food source." she smiled at me and I sighed as I reached my room, already missing him even though I knew that he would be back in a little while.

I took my time in the shower, allowing the hot water to cascade down my body while I attempted to calm the butterflies that seemed determined to flap their wings in my stomach, a nervous feeling I had never before experienced settling into my body. When I was finally finished in the shower, I pulled out a new pair of dark wash skinny jeans that made my legs seem like they went on forever and a pale pink blouse the hugged all the right curves. I carefully arranged my hair and did my makeup, feeling like my entire world depended on impressing Jasper whenever he got back from his run with Carlisle.

When I was finished and they still weren't back I felt my body getting anxious and decided that I would go online to order Jasper some new clothes since he would be staying with us for a while. Esme had made up the guest bedroom already and I sat at my laptop clicking away, loading my cart up with jeans, and t-shirts similar to what he was currently wearing. Once I had put in all of my credit card information and paid for rush delivery for the next day I tried to control my lack of patience and began to search out Carlisle's future, wondering when they were going to be back. Impatience hit again immediately when I found that I couldn't see anything of his future, only glimpses of things that were still so far away in time.

Thankfully it was only three minutes later that I heard their footsteps running through the forest and I ran downstairs and flung the door open, racing onto the porch to wait for them to break through the line of trees.

The second that I saw him appear, his t-shirt hugging his body, his black cowboy boots moving quickly across the yard, I lost all control within my body as though he was a magnet and I was attracted to him. My body pulled itself to him and I flew to him, jumping up and into his waiting arms, my movement not causing him to act defensively as it would anyone else. Instead he pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me while I felt a wave of embarrassment at my actions.

"Alice?" Carlisle questioned and I jumped down, turning to face him, Jasper's arms staying wrapped possessively around my waist.

"Carlisle, I'm..." I wanted to explain it but was cut off by a loud growl coming from the house and when I turned to look saw Edward standing in on the porch, his face beyond angry, his growl menacing.

**A/N: I love this story... and I love Jasper... it isn't planned to be too long of a story, but updates will be a bit further apart than most of mine. Thank you for your kind reviews on it so far, it is so encouraging when you all take time to comment on my stories and ideas! I also want to put out that you can now also follow me on facebook where I will post new story ideas, chapter updates, offer discussion on characters/plots etc. Feel free to go ahead and add me as a friend! **** . .16**


	4. Four

_*** All Twilight references and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, all other characters, plot changes, etc are just fun things that I like to play with. **_

*** This story is rated M for mature scenes.**

"_**Alice?" Carlisle questioned and I jumped down, turning to face him, Jasper's arms staying wrapped possessively around my waist. **_

"_**Carlisle, I'm..." I wanted to explain it but was cut off by a loud growl coming from the house and when I turned to look saw Edward standing on the porch, his face beyond angry, his growl menacing.**_

"Edward stop!" Esme cried out but it was too late. Edward had already vaulted over the railing and reached us, tearing me out of Jasper's arms and flinging me to the side harshly by the time the words were out of her mouth.

The air was filled with growls as I bounced up off the ground, watching in horror as Edward attempted to attack Jasper who easily dodged every move.

"Don't Alice!" I heard Carlisle's warning as I pushed through the middle of the two vampires that were currently fighting on the lawn, Edward warning me to stay out of the fight, while Jasper pulled me defensively behind him.

"Edward stop it!" I cried out as he again attempted to launch himself towards Jasper, who once again moved just slightly, causing Edward to instead fly into my own body, sending me flying through the air before I hit a large pine tree, snapping it in half.

"Enough!" Carlisle's voice was angry and as Esme helped me stand up I looked over to see Carlisle now standing in between the two men, Emmett and Rosalie holding Edward back.

"He's dangerous Carlisle, he can't stay here." Edward looked like a petulant child, his jaw stuck out, his tone firm.

"Edward, Jasper has done nothing to warrant this reaction from you." Esme admonished him as we reached them, Esme drawing into Carlisle's side and myself to Jasper's.

"Are you alright Alice?" Jasper turned his entire focus to me and I smiled up at him to assure him that I was fine.

"I'm okay, are you?" I asked him and looked him over quickly, making sure he was intact. When we were both satisfied that neither of us had been harmed we turned to look back at the rest of the family that seemed to be huddled around Edward.

"What are you doing Alice?" Edward demanded and I hissed at him, my reflexes wanting to hurt him for even attempting to hurt Jasper.

"Alice?" he questioned again but I was too angry to answer him.

"Let's go for a walk Edward." Carlisle suggested, the air was so tense that something had to be done and there was no way that Edward and Jasper could be in a closed room together right now. Emmett pulled Edward roughly towards Carlisle and in an instant Edward was gone, faster than even my heightened senses could see. Emmett and Carlisle took off into the woods after him while Jasper and I headed towards the house, Rosalie and Esme disappearing quickly to give us privacy.

"I'm sorry about Edward, he can be... dramatic." I apologized and I thought I heard Jasper stifle a chuckle.

"He seems to be wound quite tightly." Jasper observed and now I was the one to stifle a giggle.

"He's really not bad, he's just very protective of his mate," I explained a little more seriously, understanding why Edward was feeling so defensive. "We had a run in with a trio of nomads a while back and Bella ended up hurt because of it."

"I see," he said sitting down on the porch steps, his arm still wrapped around my waist.

"His mate, this Bella, isn't the only one that he feels protective of." Jasper thought out loud and I shrugged my shoulders, knowing what he was implying.

"We're family." I said simply. "We are all protective of each other."

"You and Edward are closer than the others though?" There was no hint of jealousy in his voice, just a curiosity, a need to understand our familial bonds.

"Yes... we've been together almost a hundred years and up until last year we were the only two in the family who were unmated and gifted, we were able to understand each other and it brought us close together. He's my brother." I didn't know why I was explaining all of this to him, but I didn't care. I wanted him to know everything about me. He listened to me talk, his face never changing, his arm around my waist only tightening, pulling me closer to him.

"What is your gift?" the question caught me off guard and I realized that none of us had yet mentioned either mine or Edward's gifts yet.

"I have visions of the future." I bit my lip nervously as I told him, laughing internally at the human habit, knowing that I had picked it up from Bella.

"And Edward?" he asked without flinching, as though he heard someone say that they saw the future on a daily basis.

"He can read minds." I answered him, not wanting to talk about Edward any longer.

"Are you sure that it's still alright that I stay a while? I don't want to cause any problems among your cov... family." he asked and I felt myself curl in on him, the thought of him leaving already making me both angry and sad.

"Yes, Edward will be fine once Carlisle talks to him." I answered him, seeing a glimpse of Edward hiding out in Bella's room, hovering protectively over her.

We sat together in silence for a little while, my hand wrapping around Jasper's, the silence neither awkward or strange, just comfortable and I felt it. I could feel the bond forming between us, the magnetic pull growing stronger the longer that we stayed that way.

"Can you tell me about yourself? Who changed you? How long were you in the South?" When I broke the silence with my questions I felt his hand immediately pull out of mine, his body stiffen and I couldn't control the wave of hurt that washed over me at his reaction. I had thought that with the way we had been sitting, touching, that he had felt the same way as me.

"I'm sorry Alice... please don't." his face looked pained and he reached over to tilt my chin, encouraging me to look up at him.

"It's alright... you don't have to." I stuttered out, suddenly feeling unsure. I had never felt this way before, usually confident in everything that I said and did.

"I want to Alice, it's just that... my history isn't something that I'm proud of and I don't want to scare you away." he said still holding my chin softly, his eyes revealing the pain of his history. I was about to ask him about it when I felt my mind slipping away, focusing somewhere else.

"Alice?" I could hear his voice calling and knew that my eyes would be clouded over, the signs of my vision showing but there was nothing I could do as I saw Bella appear screaming in the corner of her room, experiencing a full blown panic attack.

"I'm really sorry Jasper, but I've got to go to Bella's house. She's having a panic attack and I've got to..."

"It's alright, go. I'll wait here for you?" he sounded nervous, something that didn't fit the image that he put out and I smiled at him, at his understanding.

"I won't be long." I promised as we stood up and I wrapped both arms around him, holding him close before disappearing into the woods, running quickly to the familiar house where my best friend sat terrified in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

When I arrived at Bella's the scene was exactly as I had seen it and I was glad that at least I was still seeing other people okay, even if I still couldn't see Jasper, or now my own future. It took me a while to calm her down, to make her see that she was safe and that James was dead and couldn't hurt either her or her mother.

"I'm sorry Alice." she had apologized and I had told her not to worry about it. She really was my best friend next to Edward and I would have done anything for her. I owed her after my failure to protect her and keep her safe in Phoenix.

"So... are you going to tell me what happened after Edward, Rosalie and I left?" Bella probed once I had made her a hot chocolate and we were sitting cross legged on her bed, her heart rate had returned to normal now and I smiled at her question, at the reminder of Jasper.

"Peter and Charlotte, the mated pair left the area to return to a cabin that they have been using as a sort of base." I felt myself scowl as I mentioned them, "and Jasper," my frown reversed itself and suddenly I was smiling widely, "Jasper has decided to stay and try out our way of life for a little while." I told her and she nodded her head thoughtfully, her face remaining calm. But I knew she wasn't really as calm as she was letting on, her heart was again beating frantically and her hands were white as they gripped the mug of cocoa.

"They won't hurt you Bella." I promised her, fighting off a hiss at her reaction, knowing that it was only her recent experience with James that had made her react this way.

"I know... it's just... I didn't see much in the clearing, but from what I did see... they just seem... scary. I mean, something about them just makes my body scream that they are dangerous." she shook her head at me and I smiled knowingly, surprised that she did have some sense of self preservation after all.

"Even for our kind they give of a frightening... air about them. But it's only Jasper who's stayed and he won't hurt you, or any of us." I assured her and she seemed to accept my answer as her pulse began to slow and she continued to sip her drink.

"Are you alright Bella?" I watched as Edward breezed into the room and I rolled my eyes when he held her at arms length, inspecting her from any sign of injury.

"I'm fine, Alice pulled me out of it." she looked up at him and I suddenly saw their relationship very differently, knowing that if Jasper was human that I would be just as worried about him in this situation.

Edward didn't even seem to see me as he continued in his examination, his worried expression calming when he realized that she wasn't injured and was now perfectly calm. Feeling slightly hurt by his lack of acknowledgement I slipped quietly out of the room and began the journey back to the house, my own attention being drawn back to thoughts of Jasper.

On the way back I couldn't help but analyze this new relationship, this new set of feelings that I was experiencing. Something strange had happened to me over the course of the day, something that I had never thought much about until Edward had found Bella and I had begun to feel the loneliness. But now... now it was gone, replaced by a sense of belonging, a sense of companionship, a sense of excitement. For the first time since I'd woken up in this life I couldn't see my own future and although it was frustrating, it was also exciting to truly experience this for the first time.

When I finally made it back to the house I laughed at the deja vu as I felt Jasper's impatience float down to me and I pushed myself faster towards the house and the door that had opened, flinging myself into his waiting arms for the second time that day.

"I'm sorry... about earlier..." I began to apologize and was again taken by surprise as he didn't wait for me to finish apologizing, leaning down into me and pressing his lips against mine, a need to claim him taking control of my body, my legs wrapping around his waist, his arms pulling me tightly into him.

"Get your hands off of my little sister!" I groaned in frustration as Emmett's voice rang out and I refused to move out of his arms, lowering only my feet to the ground, but keeping my body wrapped in his arms.

"Emmett, go away!" I pouted and Jasper growled possessively.

"Leave them alone Emmett!" I was grateful to Rosalie as she grabbed his arm while he stood staring Jasper down and I rolled my eyes.

"Okay... seriously Em, we just went through this with Edward. Jasper isn't hurting me... I threw myself into his arms because I wanted to." I ground out irritably, just wanting them to leave me alone so I could thoroughly explore this new person in my life.

"If you hurt her..." Emmett warned as Rosalie stuck her hand over his mouth and gave him a stern look, pulling him away a moment later.

The next several days passed by in the same way. Jasper and I were instantly inseparable, our relationship developing a quiet depth that was stronger than anything I had ever felt before. Jasper began to explore our diet immediately, hunting every second day, hoping that the more often he hunted, the easier it would be to get used to the _blandness_ of the animal blood. Carlisle was overall pleased with his dedication to our lifestyle, accompanying him frequently while he would hunt. But the rest of the family was becoming worried about him and I together, even Esme who had been supportive at first had been casting concerned glances my way regularly. And then there was Edward.

Edward hadn't spoken to me at all since the day in the clearing. I had tried to apologize to him repeatedly for putting Bella in what he still perceived as a danger to her, had tried to explain about my lack of vision both verbally and mentally but he was sulking and ignoring me, hovering over Bella and reacting defensively when I tried to visit with her. After three weeks I was starting to feel torn, my family treating me as though I was betraying them, but my heart already belonging to Jasper.

"Carlisle?" I let myself into his office at the hospital, knowing that he had a chunk of time before he had to do his rounds.

"What brings you here Alice?" he asked when he saw me standing there. It was rare that any of us paid him a visit at the hospital, none of us wanting to be tempted by the blood that he seemed to be completely desensitized to.

"I was hoping to talk to you, if you don't mind." I felt strange as I sat in his chair. Carlisle was my father in my eyes, but he wasn't the one that I typically went to for advice, usually seeking out Esme or Edward first.

"They're only worried about you," it was a relief to know that he understood my reason for visiting him, even without me speaking up and I relaxed into the soft leather chair.

"I know that they're worried about me... but it's not just me... they're being very... cold to Jasper. I've seen his scars and while we haven't had a chance yet to talk more in depth about his history, I trust him. He's tired of the wars, of the fighting. And yet the family is acting as though he's personally offended them, or hurt one of us." I felt the frustration rising while I explained my issues.

"Alice... I remember the day that you knocked on our door in 1920. You had no knowledge of who you were or where you'd come from, but you knew that you were going to be a part of our family." I smiled at the memory, at the day I had shown up and scared the hell out of both Carlisle and Edward. Edward of course had thought that I was insane at first, telling him that I was his sister and that we would be best friends.

"You wormed your way into our hearts Alice and became mine and later Esme's daughter. Edward, Emmett and Rosalie's sister. We all would do anything to protect you and while they understand that you've found your mate... they worry about him, about his history." Carlisle explained and I looked around the room, the frustration still bubbling.

"Has Edward spoken to you at all since Jasper arrived?" I asked to change the subject, I wasn't feeling any better and didn't want to let my disappointment show through.

"He's been worried for Bella's safety." Carlisle answered me cautiously and I didn't push for more details, already seeing that he wouldn't tell me much else about his and Edward's conversations. I left Carlisle's office feeling dissatisfied with the lack of answers I had received from him, feeling for the first time that I didn't belong with them.

**A/N: I know, Edward is such an ass in this story, but don't worry, eventually he'll get over it! Anyone else feeling bad for Alice and the lack of family support she's getting? Thank you all for your kind reviews! **


	5. Five

_*** All Twilight references and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, all other characters, plot changes, etc are just fun things that I like to play with. **_

_*** This story is rated M for mature scenes.**_

"_**He's been worried for Bella's safety." Carlisle answered me cautiously and I didn't push for more details, already seeing that he wouldn't tell me much else about his and Edward's conversations. I left Carlisle's office feeling dissatisfied with the lack of answers I had received from him, feeling for the first time that I didn't belong with them.**_

"Are you alright Alice?" Jasper's voice was concerned and while I hadn't heard him coming up behind me, I could feel it, our connection alerting me to his close proximity.

I had been hiding out in the woods since my visit with Carlisle, trying to think things through, to understand the reactions my family had towards this man that I already knew that I loved. I didn't answer Jasper, choosing instead to look up and smile, a small tight smile that told him I wasn't. In an instant he was by my side, sitting down next to me on the large boulder that overlooked the river. Right here the river curved and disappeared, falling down several feet in a small waterfall, while the trees created a canopy, hiding it and creating an alcove that to me almost seemed magical.

Now, this was our place. I had always known about Edward's meadow that had become his and Bella's meadow. I had known that Esme and Carlisle had a cave that was their special place, halfway up the mountain, a place they disappeared to when they needed moments alone. I also knew about Rosalie and Emmett's tree house, something that Rosalie often rolled her eyes at but secretly loved. This particular spot that Jasper and I were sitting in now had been my own special place since we had returned to Forks, a place where I often went to sit and think or to sort through what could at times be chaotic visions. I had shared this place with Jasper on his third day with us, bringing him here and marveling at how at peace he had been, the calm seeming out of place against his war torn body.

The feeling of Jasper's hand in my own brought me back to the current moment. The reason why I was here and massaging my temples, my head aching from the effort I had put out at trying to see our future.

"Is it me?" he asked when I didn't immediately offer any explanation as to my current state and I felt him try to pull his hand out of mine, panicking and gripping it tightly at the thought.

"No, it's not you." I sighed and then realized that wasn't entirely true. In a way it was him, it was the happiness that he brought me, the happy fluttering and feelings of being alive that I felt when I was with him. But even more, it was the way my family reacted to that happiness that had me concerned.

"Alice?" he questioned and I tried to control my emotions, knowing that I was probably up and down, sending him all kinds of mixed signals.

"I'm sorry Jasper. I'm just feeling confused right now." I sighed again and he squeezed my hand gently, encouraging me to continue.

"I think... no I know... that I love you Jasper." I blurted the words out before I could think about the consequences of doing so. It was something that I'd wanted to say to him since almost the first day he had found us, but neither of us had actually said yet.

The silence that filled the air after I uttered the words was unnerving and I felt my body go rigid, thinking that it was too soon for him. I had ruined our relationship with those simple words.

"Alice, no... don't." I looked over to him to see his eyes pleading with me and as I got lost in his eyes I felt what he hadn't been able to say. I should have known. Jasper was a man of few words and I had learned early on that he much preferred to show you how he felt, rather than speak it and I smiled when I felt his love crashing into me, surrounding me.

"I love you Alice, I never imagined... in all my years, I never thought I could ever find someone that I felt this strongly about, that felt so strongly about me in return." I felt the venom pooling in my eyes, sheer happiness taking over my body as I felt the love in his words, in the swirling bursts of emotion that he flooded me with and I couldn't control the love that I felt back for him.

Leaning over to him, he met me half way, our lips pressing into each other, my hands traveling up and drifting to his hair, his own hands resting on my hips. The kiss was intense but soft and I felt the butterflies building deep inside my stomach, as his hands shifted, rubbing up my sides and back down to my hips. When we parted I felt myself struggling to catch my breath before I realized that I didn't need to and let out a soft giggle.

I was still in Jasper's arms, his head pressed into the top of mine as I felt his own burst of laughter escape his lips at my reaction to him. I breathed in his scent and felt my body react to it instantly, causing another chuckled from Jasper as my emotions flitted up to him. Our relationship was still relatively new though, especially when you considered that we had an eternity to spend together. We had developed an unspoken kind of agreement, neither of us in a rush push to the next level, taking our time and enjoying the newness of our relationship before going further physically than kissing. And after the first day when I had leapt without shame into his waiting arms, we kept our _love life_ as Emmett called it private, both of us feeling content to just be together and not needing to flaunt our affection while in the presence of the family.

"Can you tell me about your past now?" I had pulled back and was looking at him straight on, my hands now both resting on either side of his face to show him that I wanted him to look at me, that I wanted to hear about his past.

"Are you sure that you want to know?" he asked me warily, searching my face for any sign of fear, anything to indicate that I would bolt the second he told me about it.

"I love you Jazz, I know that you don't like talking about it so if you aren't ready I understand. But no matter what you tell me, it won't scare me away." I said firmly, kissing him softly on the lips before letting go of his face and again taking his hands in mine.

There was a brief silence as Jasper sorted through his own thoughts and took a deep breath before launching into his story.

I thought I had been prepared for what he had to tell me, knowing that the wars in the south were something both tragic and horrifying. But Jasper's descriptions broke my heart as he spoke about his history as a human, being changed during the civil war by that... that... witch. When Jasper described to me how she used him to manipulate and control her army I felt a rage well up inside me, willing me to find her and destroy her.

Once Jasper had started telling me about it, it was like a dam had broken from within him and he held nothing back, explaining where each and every scar on his body had come from, explaining the range of emotions that he was forced to deal with daily, the non-stop blood lust that he had endured in that world.

Jasper's story held me in awe of this man, of the strength he had demonstrated in both surviving that life and finding a way out. When he spoke about Peter, told me how he had become Jasper's right-hand man during their time with _her, _how he had been a sounding board and one of the few things during that time that had given Jasper hope for a better future I felt guilty for my initial dislike of the man. Especially when he told me how Peter had met Charlotte and begged Jasper to spare her, escaping to find their happiness, eventually risking their freedom and coming back for my Jasper. To save him as he had done for them.

When he had finished telling me everything, right up until the day that the three of them had found us in the baseball clearing he looked at me carefully, gaging my reaction to his violent past.

"Jazz. You've been through so much." I cried out, pulling myself closer to him and taking him by surprise when I kissed him passionately. I didn't give him a chance to recover from my sudden reaction before I moved from his mouth to his face, peppering him with kisses, following the pattern of crescent shaped scars that littered his body.

"Alice..." he started when I was finished, my heart aching for everything that he had been through.

"I love you Jazz." I stated and I felt him smile against me, a purr rumbling through his chest as he pulled me onto his lap, wrapped me up in his arms and just holding me.

"I love you so much Alice."

We stayed that way through the night, neither of us feeling the need to say anything else, the silence only helping us to connect even deeper than I thought possible. When the light of dawn began to trickle down through the trees I groaned at the knowledge that our blissful circle of contentment was about to come to an end.

"Time to go back to the house?" Jasper murmured in my ear, his lips brushing against my lobe as he spoke, a shiver rolling through my body at what he was doing to me.

"Uh huh," I responded and turned to kiss him one last time, not wanting to move from our spot, but feeling the need to get back, to confront the family.

Jasper understood without me speaking the words and he helped me stand, both of us brushing off our clothes before turning and walking at a leisurely place back towards the Cullen house, my house.

"Is everybody there?" Jasper asked about halfway back and I nodded. Everyone was there... even Bella, I had seen Edward invite her over before I made the decision for Jasper and I to arrive so I was confident that I was correct.

"I want to warn you Jasper. Bella's at the house too. Edward's not going to be happy that I'm bringing you back while she's there." Jasper squeezed my hand and I smiled at him. I knew what he was telling me in that one simple move, he was assuring me that he would be okay, that he was not going to leave my side during the upcoming confrontation.

As I knew they would, the other vampires in our house heard us approaching, smelled us before we arrived and Bella was working to calm Edward down, trying to convince him that she was fine and that she wanted to stay and see me. Jasper squeezed my hand one more time as we came through the front door, going directly to the living room where the family had congregated the instant that Edward had heard us approaching, all of them circled protectively around Bella. All but Rosalie who sat in a chair opposite her, watching the scene unfold calmly.

"Alice!" I heard her call out at the same time that she rolled her eyes and gestured to the crowd around her.

"Hey Bella." I said calmly, making no move to go to her as I would have before, as I would have if the family wasn't acting on such high alert.

"Help me up Edward." It appeared that Bella didn't seem to care about what was happening between Edward and I, the family and I and she was now hobbling over to me, her casted leg still making walking hard. Edward followed at her side, fighting off a growl as she approached me and reached out to hug me, Jasper stiffening slightly at my side as her smell permeated his nose.

"I missed you Alice." she whispered as she pulled back and Edward wasted no time pulling her back across the room, sitting her back down in the chair.

"I missed you too Bella." I smiled lightly at her to let her know I meant it and then turned to face the rest of the family, Jasper's arm snaking around my waist supportively as I did so.

"We made it clear three weeks ago that _he_ isn't supposed to be at the house here when Bella is." Edward snarled at me and I felt my anger surge back up again at his words, at his callous tone of voice.

"_Jasper _is a part of this family now Edward. I've had it with the lack of respect you all have shown both him and I since his arrival here." I exploded, my body vibrating with the fury I was feeling.

"He's dangerous Alice. Isn't enough that because of you, Bella almost died in Phoenix, because of YOUR so called protection?" Edward demanded before anyone else could speak and I felt the air rush out of my body as I jumped back, feeling as though he had slapped me.

"Edward!" Bella's voice rang out angrily and I felt the venom pool up in my eyes at the memory, at finding Bella broken in the ballet studio after my failure.

"I'm sorry Bella. I know I failed you then, but this," I gestured to Jasper, "isn't anything like that." I directed my words to her and her alone, Jasper's arm pulling me tighter into his side, feeling my hurt.

"No. Look at him Alice. He's a freak. He has spent his life feeding off of humans, killing them, killing others of our kind over the possession of territory!" Edward screamed, he was pacing the floor angrily and I wanted to show him exactly how angry I was but thought better of it.

"I think we should leave Jasper." I looked up at him through the venom, the hurt that I was feeling at war with the anger, causing me to question which path to take. Should I stay and fight them on this? Demand respect? Or was it a lost cause, would we end up leaving anyways.

"Alice, I'm sure that Jasper would give us time to work this out as a family." Carlisle spoke up and I turned to glare at him.

"Jasper IS family!" I screeched in frustration, staring down every member of the family, seeing the shock as it filled their faces at my outburst.

"Alice, what are you..."

"Emmett stop it. Edward you are acting like a spoiled child and while I know that I screwed up with Bella in Arizona, it hurts that you don't trust either me or Jasper now." I looked among my family who were still circled protectively around Bella and I felt an unfair surge of jealousy towards her before Edward started to growl menacingly at me and I pushed those feelings aside.

"Edward, I would never hurt Bella." I whispered to him, "Bella is my best friend, and you've been my brother, my other best friend for as long as I've been in this life." I choked out, stopping when he only continued to glare at me.

"Goodbye." It was the last thing that I said before I grabbed Jasper's hand and we fled from the house, running through the forest, without a direction, without a goal. Once we were in the trees I sobbed as a vision hit me and I tried unsuccessfully to pull out of it, not wanting to see them, even in a vision right now.

"_Look what you've all done." Rosalie hissed loudly, standing up and facing the shocked family. They hadn't moved since our hasty exit, aside from the sharing of confused looks between one another._

"_What are you talking about Rosie?" Emmett questioned approaching her but she brushed him off, not letting him put his arms around her. _

"_Can't you all see it?" she fumed as she threw her magazine at Edward angrily and I saw Esme's face fall._

"_Shut it Rose." Edward growled at her and she rolled her eyes. _

"_Don't piss me off any more than I already am, you ignorant asshole." she was in his face now and Bella was watching in terror, her body pressed into the corner of her chair. _

"_You know damn well Edward that you are just being dramatic. Yes Jasper has scars and yes Jasper was a part of the southern wars, but did you – any of you – ever stop and ask him about it? Attempt to get to know him?" she demanded. "Alice was happy with him, but none of you seemed to care at all, did you? Yes he's a vampire for crying out loud but WE'RE ALL vampires!" she practically screamed in frustration._

"_I don't see you keeping Bella away from me Edward... and after all, I'm more of a threat to her then Jasper is. Jasper's been nothing but kind to her, and respectful of us. But did you forget Edward that only eight months ago I voted to kill Bella when you exposed our secret to her? Or did you forget how you yourself almost killed her and her ENTIRE class the first day that she showed up in your biology class? Did you forget that it's because of Alice that you are here with her now? That because of her encouraging you, you were confident enough to be with her, that she was the one to take care of Bella when she came back to Forks after being in the hospital? That thanks to Alice's vision, Bella didn't get crushed by Tyler Crowley's van?" Rosalie ranted to the room, their faces all changing as she pointed out everything that had happened. _

"_Emmett, you've been just as bad as Edward so don't even look at me like that. You've all been ignoring Alice and Jasper since Jasper arrived even though they are obviously mated. Carlisle, Alice went to you for advice, for help today, didn't she?" I was surprised that she knew about that and decided not to question it as I continued watching her through my gift. "And what did you do, you all sided against her when she came to try and work things out. Esme, I think that I'm the most disappointed in you. You encouraged her and Jasper the first few days, but you let Edward guilt you into changing your mind. You are like her mother Esme and you turned your back on her."_

"_Rosalie!" Edward was growling again and she whipped around to face him._

"_If you are so worried about Bella's safety while she's dating a vampire... then just change her! You're a blind fool if you can't see that it's what she wants and it would have saved us from being in this situation in the first place!" _

When I finally snapped out of my vision I pushed myself to run faster, harder, Jasper keeping pace with me as I ran out my frustrations. I was thankful to Rosalie for standing up for me, for us, but I couldn't go back there after everything that had happened. I couldn't face them, knowing that the only one who even cared about me leaving was Rosalie. While I was surprised at her outburst, at her defense of our relationship, I also wasn't. Rose could be as hard as ice on the outside, but she was still my sister.

"Stop Alice." Jasper commanded two hours later. He had changed course midway through our run, leading me in another direction, eventually following two weak but distinct scents as we crossed the border into Oregon.

**A/N: I know, Alice ran away. But don't worry, she's just feeling overwhelmed by the lack of support and needing some space right now. Hopefully Peter and Charlotte are more supportive than the Cullens and I promise, happy bubbly Alice will be making a return very soon!**

******If you like my fanfics, follow my page on FaceBook: #!/pages/Pink-FanFic/397085653692709 to get updates, teasers, and more!**


	6. Six

_*** As always, Stephenie Meyer owns twilight, and I own nothing. Rated M to be safe, will probably get juicier the longer that this story goes on. **_

"_**Stop Alice." Jasper commanded two hours later. He had changed course midway through our run, leading me in another direction, eventually following two weak but distinct scents as we crossed the border into Oregon.**_

_Run. _I didn't know what else to do, but to follow my instincts and run. I couldn't think in the house with everyone watching me... watching us. I only knew that I had to leave for a little while, leave Edward's angry eyes, Emmett's protective watch, Bella's silent tears, and Esme and Carlisle's worried looks. It wasn't fair to Jasper and it wasn't fair to me.

Jasper had been urging me to stop for several minutes now, but I didn't want to stop, I had to keep moving. So instead of coming to a complete halt, I had slowed down to a slow human pace, still following the scents that Jasper had pushed me towards, following where Peter and Charlotte had gone only three weeks earlier.

"I don't blame them you know." It had been silent for most of the journey so far, aside from Jasper asking me to stop, so his statement took me for surprise and I paused mid step as he spoke the words, whipping around to face him.

"What do you..." he put his hand in the air, silently telling me to stop, that he wanted to explain his words.

"I have spent over a century being one of the most feared soldiers in the vampire world Alice. I have a reputation and the battle scars as evidence. I have faced opposition, other highly trained soldiers, who have surrendered to me at the sight of how I appear, at the sound of my name. I know that you are angry at your family Alice, but you know that they love you and they just want to protect you." he paused and I knew the truth to his words, but it still didn't quench the anger at how they had treated Jasper, how they had treated my mate.

"We're instinctual creatures darlin', their instincts tell them that I'm dangerous and I think it will just take time for me to prove to them that I won't hurt you or them." he continued to explain and I couldn't control the burst of love that I felt rise up in my chest. Jasper may be one of the most feared vampires in history, scarred and battle worn on the outside, but if anyone could see the real him, they would see the soft side, the part of him that was searching for understanding and acceptance, for a life of peace.

"So where is this cabin of yours?" I asked feeling slightly better, a bubble of hope swelling in my chest. Maybe all we needed was a few days away from the family, a few days to really get to know each other, for the family to accept that we were now a packaged deal.

"We're only about thirty miles away now, are you sure you want to keep going? You don't want to return to Forks now?" he asked as we picked up the pace, both of us settling into a light jog.

"I'm sure, I need some time away from them... are you okay with that?" I asked him cautiously, not wanting him to feel forced away when he was just beginning to feel the affects of his new diet.

"Wherever you go, I go." he smiled over at me and I couldn't help feeling just a touch lighter, a touch happier.

The closer we got to Jasper's cabin, the stronger the scents got, permeating the entire area, and soon I saw the small building coming into my view. I smiled when I saw it and grasped Jasper's hand as he focused and appeared to be concentrating on something.

"They aren't here." he murmured and I let out a light sigh of relief, at least we wouldn't be interrupting anything when we arrived.

"Where do you think they are?" I asked as we made our way up the steps of the porch and around the small house to the front door where Jasper let himself in, flicking on the light even though we could see perfectly well in the afternoon light that was streaming in through the windows.

"We'll be back by morning, thought we'd give you and your mate some time alone tonight." Jasper read quietly from a piece of paper resting on the small kitchen table.

"Well, it's no Chateau Cullen, but we've found it comfortable enough as a place to stay dry from the rain." Jasper chuckled and I looked around the barren room. He was right, it wasn't the Cullen house, the rooms barely containing any furniture, the walls still covered in an ugly green wallpaper that made me cringe inside.

"Who's guitar is that?" I asked as I took in the room, surprised at the shiny black instrument resting in the corner, it seemed so out of place in the old cabin.

"That's mine. After... when Peter came back for me... it was one of the first things that I picked up. I used to play when I was a human and I've been working at relearning it off and on during the past several months, whenever we're in this area." he said with a small smile and I turned into his arms, leaning up and meeting his lips in a sweet kiss.

"I love you Jasper." I murmured against his lips as he lifted me gently, my legs wrapping automatically around his waist.

It didn't take long before his lips were on my neck, kissing, licking and tasting. It sent shivers down my spine and I pressed my body even closer to his, not paying attention to the fact that we were moving backwards until we fell back against a bed.

His hands roamed my entire body and my skin felt like it was on fire under his touch. Slowly my hands began to reciprocate, feeling the warmth of his skin, the electricity that passed from me to him at the mere touch and I wanted more, I needed to feel all of him.

"Are you alright Darlin'?" he asked as we lay tangled together in the bed, both of us enjoying just being together in each other's company. Our love making had been sensual and deep, our first time sealing the bond of our mating and already I felt closer emotionally, knowing that there was no way that I could ever let him go now.

"I feel better." I couldn't control the giggle that snuck out and when he heard it, his hands found my sides, tickling me gently, causing me to giggle further.

"I love you Jasper." I sighed into his arms and felt him smile against me once he had finished tickling me and we had settled down, the quiet encompassing us as I thought about how lucky I was to have finally found him, to have found someone who suited me so perfectly.

The next morning came far too quickly and I knew that our time alone was coming to an end as I stood up and began to get dressed, pulling on my clothes from the day before, my face twisted in disgust as I did so.

"Don't be nervous Ali," Jasper came over to me as I fixed my hair.

"I'm not nervous." I lied, spinning around and kissing him on the nose before dancing out of his arms and moving to tidy the room, not able to sit still in the house.

"Liar." he smirked at me, but I ignored him, continuing to tidy up the small space.

"Hey, will you play..." I was about to ask Jasper if he would play his guitar for me but before I could finish my sentence I felt my body stiffen, my eyes begin to glaze over as the vision of Bella hit me.

"Where's my phone?" I asked as I pulled out of the sight, Jasper now standing in front of me, waiting for me to tell him what I had seen. I reached around him to the small table that I had dropped it on the night before and flipped it open, dialing Rosalie's number quickly.

"Alice?" she asked a second later,

"Rose... what happened to Bella? Why isn't Edward with her?" I asked, quickly getting to the point.

"She's pissed off at him so he's sulking upstairs... why?" she asked, her tone bored with the direction of our conversation.

"Because she's at her house alone and she's having a panic attack... but it isn't like the normal ones she has... this one's worse and she's going to hurt herself if someone doesn't get there to help her out of it." I shrieked into the phone and heard movement in the background before I heard a door slamming shut.

"Edward's on it." Rose replied and I sighed before focusing back on what she had said a minute ago.

"Why is Bella angry at Edward?" I asked, trying to understand what could have happened in the short time that I was gone.

"She's pissed at him for treating you like dirt. She freaked out last night about him chasing away her best friend." I slapped my face with my hand as I realized that Bella would react like that.

"I'll be back in a few days Rosalie... I just needed some time alone with Jasper. Can you make sure that Bella knows that?" I asked and could practically see Rosalie rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone before I heard Esme assure me that they would tell her from the background.

As soon as I put the phone down after my call I was curled up in Jasper's arms as he guided us towards the small couch, sitting down with me in his lap.

"I've never seen a coven – a family – of vampires, or even one single vampire, so attached to a human before." he said as he lifted my chin up so that he was looking into my eyes.

"Bella sees us for who we are... not what we are. She changed our family, she brought Edward out of his self-loathing and changed him into someone that is happy, that is just so different than the Edward that I've known since we were changed. She puts up with Rosalie's bitchiness and Emmett's goofing around... she let's Esme mother her and Carlisle heal her... and she's my best friend... the friend that I always wanted." I explained to him and saw him smile at me, the sight of it making my dead heart flutter.

"I know. I haven't had much time to get to know her myself but her emotions alone are amazing. Any human that I have ever met has been terrified of me, even without being able to see the scars the way that we can. But Bella... well Bella seems to accept me the same as she accepts all of you." There was a hint of sadness mixed beneath the wonder of his words and I smiled, already missing my best friend.

"That's Peter and Charlotte." Jasper paused the song he was playing for me and I listened to the sound of the two vampires running through the forest, moving towards the cabin where we were waiting.

It was less than two minutes later that the pair made their way inside, Jasper moving to my side and wrapping his arms around my shoulder while Peter and Charlotte leaned against the wall.

"Peter, Char... you remember Alice." Jasper broke the tense silence and Peter's face changed into a strange smirk while Charlotte looked me up and down, her face neither smiling nor frowning.

The next few days were awkward. Charlotte didn't exactly warm up to me, often sneaking in snarky remarks about myself and my family, my (and now Jasper's) choice of diet, things that I was positive were meant to anger me, and often times did. Peter on the other hand was easy going and actually reminded me a little bit of Emmett with the way that he played around with Jasper, the dynamics between them, reminding me more of brothers than just friends. Peter also seemed to accept me as a part of Jasper, someone that he knew instantly wasn't going anywhere, someone that made Jasper happy.

After the third day of sharing the space with Peter and Charlotte, they left again. They claimed that it was because of their nomad tendencies, the idea that it was just too crowded at the tiny cabin. And while I got the feeling that it was true, I also got the feeling from Peter that perhaps some of it was just to give Jasper and I a bit more time alone.

For the most part we also stuck around the cabin, Jasper and I getting to know each other, both physically and emotionally. We spent time hunting together, talking, reading and just being. We learned even more about each others' histories, telling stories about the much different second-lives we had lead and growing even closer than I had thought possible.

But as the days passed, I could sense a change in Jasper's attitude, an uneasy sense passing through my body, almost warning me that something was about to happen that would either make or break our relationship. Of course I continued to try and look to the future, to see anything that might involve Jasper and I, but nothing came, just a solid, frustrating wall of black, blocking me, preventing me from being able to know where to go, what was coming.

"What are you thinking about Alice?" I had just finished hunting and was busy attempting to clean myself up by the small stream. I had forgotten how difficult it was to live more or less as a nomad and I was unsure about how much longer I wanted to, knowing that I would do it if it was Jasper wanted but hoping that he would return home with me soon.

"I was just trying to look into our future again." I sighed and he lifted me up into his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist as he looked into my eyes.

"Some things aren't meant to be seen Alice." he spoke softly and I pulled myself into his neck, my frustrations about my lack of sight and the strange urge to return home making me more emotional than usual.

"Hey, It's alright Al," I didn't realize that I had started to sob lightly until he began to stroke my back, calming me almost instantly, not with his gift, but with his presence.

"I know you miss them sweetheart." I pulled back and looked at his face, his eyes that were searching into my own and I knew. I knew that he would follow me anywhere.

"Can we go back?" I asked him and he nodded his head. I moved my head in closer to his again and he met me halfway, our mouths colliding, our tongues dancing as I clung to him. "Tomorrow?" I asked and realized that I needed one more night with him before our return to Forks, before our return to our home.


	7. Seven

"_**Can we go back?" I asked him and he nodded his head. I moved my head in closer to his again and he met me halfway, our mouths colliding, our tongues dancing as I clung to him. "Tomorrow?" I asked and realized that I needed one more night with him before our return to Forks, before our return to our home. **_

"Race you to the river?" My mouth turned up into a smirk as I looked over my shoulder, leaving Jasper surprised behind me. We were only twenty miles from the river and I deliberately chose the end spot of our little race to give me time to settle my nerves before our return to the house.

Laughing as I felt him catch up to me I sprinted across the small hill we were traveling and sprung myself up into the trees above, swinging quickly from tree to tree, vaulting myself closer to our destination.

"Oh no you don't you little pixie!" Jasper's teasing tone was right below me and I couldn't help the gasp of shock as he hit me with a strong enough dose of lethargy that my muscles relaxed against my control and I lost my grip, falling to the forest floor just behind him. I hadn't been expecting him to play dirty and hadn't bothered worrying about any tricks he may have... now I did.

"Oh no you don't!" I laughed cheekily as I flung myself up off the ground and once again took to the trees, quickly catching up to Jasper who was still on foot below and dropping gracefully onto his back just as we reached our spot, entering the canopy of vines and leaves together.

"Tie?" I laughed lightly as he swung me around to his front and suddenly I was trapped, my back pressed up against a thick tree while his lips wandered to mine, his kiss light and teasing.

"Are they expecting us at the house?" Jasper hadn't asked many questions about our return to Forks and I shook my head nervously, honestly not knowing what to expect from my _family_ when we arrived back. I was about to suggest that we just keep going, that there was no sense delaying the inevitable awkward confrontations that were about to happen when a vision hit me.

When I blinked back into focus and found Jasper huddled in front of me I leapt back up into his arms, my feelings towards him only becoming stronger when I saw his never-ending patience as he waited for me to come back to him.

"Are you alright Alice?" he asked after several moments of me clinging to him, my emotions jumping all over the place.

"I'm sorry... I just... I saw us arriving at the house,"

"Wait, you had a vision of you and I?" he interrupted me, something that was unusual for him but I understood why as I nodded my head up and down vigorously.

"It wasn't much... just you and I arriving back at the house. Carlisle and Esme were the only ones there... everyone else is out." I told him excitedly, my nerves much calmer now that I knew that whatever had been blocking Jasper from my vision wasn't permanent. I also had to admit that I had been relieved to know that it would be a quiet reunion to begin with, the tension that would have come from Edward specifically no longer threatening immediately overwhelm me.

I didn't need to say anything else to Jasper as I felt my own excitement begin to grow. Our return home had been something that before the vision I didn't know how to feel about it, anxiety and hurt, worry and excitement all fighting for a place among my emotions. Now though, that I knew it was only Carlisle and Esme that would be there to greet us, I couldn't wait to get back... I had missed my parents_. _Taking off into a light jog I felt my mate match his pace to mine, his fingers intertwining with my own and squeezing gently as we neared the house... my home.

Just as it happened in my vision, Esme had heard mine and Jasper's approach and she was a blur even to my heightened eyesight as she ran towards us the second that we broke through the final clearing into our yard, her arms as she reached me consuming me completely in a tight hug.

At the warmth of her embrace I couldn't control the sobs that broke free and I could feel her own dry sobs wracking her frame. I was barely able to register Carlisle's appearance as he reached us, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips at the sight of Esme and I blubbering in the middle of the yard, my hand still linked tightly with Jasper's. His words not audible to me over the sound of mine and Esme's reunion.

When Esme and I had finally broken apart and managed to calm ourselves slightly I laughed at the awkward position both Carlisle and Jasper had been in as they had watched our sappy interaction, at the look that they both wore that reminded me once again how patient and calm they both were.

"We're glad to have you back... both of you." Carlisle spoke with a nervous hint to his voice and I pulled back from Esme and into Jasper's side, the hurt that I had felt when I first left the family bubbling back up. Jasper sensed my shift in mood and rubbed my arm soothingly.

"I think maybe we should go back to the house and talk for a bit?" I suggested and Esme's head dropped down, her disappointment at my lack of instant forgiveness obvious.

It was a strange sensation as I followed Carlisle and Esme back towards the house with Jasper, the feeling that I was simply a guest in the house now causing me to question my decision to come back. Was it too soon for this? Were Jasper and I meant to still be out on our own now?

"Alice... Jasper..." Not surprisingly it was Carlisle who spoke first after we had taken our places in the living room, Jasper and I sitting together on the cream colored sofa while Esme sat in the leather chair, Carlisle standing behind her. "We owe you both an apology... more than an apology." his eyes glanced first to me and then Jasper, falling down to Esme who looked like she was about to start sobbing again at any moment.

"We treated you both poorly and there is no excuse for our behavior... we can only hope that Alice you will forgive us for the way that we treated you," I felt the anger begin to rise at his statement and began to stand up before he raised his hand in the air and turned towards Jasper. "And Jasper, I am truly sorry for my judgment of you and the way that we treated you. I hope that you can forgive us and possibly allow us to get to know you better." I looked over at Jasper who almost seemed embarrassed by Carlisle's apology and knew that this was all still new for him. He wasn't used to apologies or talks. Where Jasper had come from things had always been solved by anger, violence and destruction.

Esme was the next to apologize to us and as hurt as I still was at what had happened, I didn't have it in me to stay upset with the woman who had taken her place as my mother, who I loved as though she was. My relationship with Carlisle was much the same and the longer we sat in the living room, the more relaxed we all became.

"Where is everybody else?" I glanced around the room and was surprised by the darkness settling in, we had been sitting for hours in the same position as first we laid out ground rules regarding the rest of the family and Jasper and my return, and secondly Carlisle and Esme took an interest in Jasper's history, taking the time to ask him questions and get to know more about him.

"Bella guilted them all into a trip to Seattle... there's some sort of fair going on. They should be back in a little while." Esme's smile was wary as she spoke the words and I understood her concern. While we had laid out a few rules, I was still upset and hurt by my brothers' previous behavior towards Jasper.

I turned my attention then back to Jasper and Carlisle's conversation which had turned to Jasper's new diet and the pale orange color that his eyes had slowly taken on.

"So you are still feeding frequently?" Carlisle inquired and Jasper moved to rub the back of his neck before he answered him honestly.

"Yes, we tried to go a little bit longer... but we came across several humans that had wandered off the hiking trails and I found it quite... difficult... to resist them." He looked down guiltily and now it was my turn to soothe him, my hand squeezing his knee gently.

"But you were fine... it just takes time to become accustomed to being around the human scent on our diet, especially after your previous life where there weren't any limits on the amount of human blood you could consume." I interrupted him firmly, knowing how hard he was being on himself and knowing that no matter what I said – what anyone said – he wouldn't be satisfied with himself until his control was perfect.

Carlisle took over for me then, assuring Jasper that he was doing well and that it would simply take time to adjust. After that the two of them became lost in conversation, a question from Carlisle regarding the civil war sparking a debate between them as Esme excused herself to the kitchen to prepare something for Bella to eat when the others all returned.

"I'm just going to run upstairs and get changed." I interrupted quietly and Jasper turned to give me a small smile before delving back into the his side of the history discussion.

Standing up I tried to maintain my human pace as I headed upstairs and into the familiar room, my excitement growing stronger as I spotted the double doors into my own personal heaven. The squeal that escaped my lips was accidental when I flung the doors open excitedly and the smell of cotton, silk, and cashmere hit my nostrils.

It took me no time at all to become absorbed in the inventory of clothes I was taking, figuring out what I had and what I needed, deciding on clothes to order for Jasper and designing a second smaller closet to keep his things in.

I had just changed into a soft pink sweater and a clean pair of jeans when the vision hit and I watched in horror as the future happened.

"Jasper." the whispered word caused a chill to run down my spine as I heard the sound of a car coming quickly up the driveway. By the time I had made it down to Jasper's side the doorbell had already been rung and Esme was escorting him into the living room.

Jasper stiffened at my side, sensing my sudden worry and I regretted not stopping to hunt on the way here.

"Hold your breath and we need to leave." I whispered under my breath and I watched as he stopped breathing immediately, trusting me even without knowing why.

We stood up then and moved to the glass doors at the back of the living room as Charlie spoke to Esme and Carlisle, told them about the officer who had been killed in the next county over.

"I'm going to head out that way to help out and I might end up staying a few days," he said nervously and I opened the back door. "Bella is more than welcome to stay with us." Esme didn't wait for him to ask and I knew he would be relaxing now, knowing that Bella wouldn't have to stay alone while he was gone.

"Oh Alice?" We were almost out the door and I debated for an instant on whether to ignore him and pretend that I simply hadn't heard my name being called or to answer him. I didn't have a chance to decide.

The smell of Charlie's blood hit me, causing me to turn instinctively towards him, to see the small stream of blood running from his nose and into his hand which was already trying to stop it.

Beside me Jasper stiffened even further and I knew he had smelled it too, his own body now turned towards Charlie, his body planted firmly beside mine, his hand gripping my arm tightly, squeezing as he tried to maintain his control.

Ever so slightly I felt Jasper's knees bend and I knew I only had a moment to act, to stop him.

"Jasper." I spoke just above a whisper and used my hand to turn his now black eyes towards mine. I could see the fight in them, his instincts fighting his resolve. In the living room Carlisle was convincing Charlie to move into the kitchen to clean up and to let him look him over.

"Jasper," I spoke again and pulled his arm, turning his body roughly back towards the backyard and the fresh air. As though he was trudging through knee high mud he followed me, his steps slow and difficult until we reached the tree line where he suddenly took off.

I followed him through the trees and to our spot where he collapsed to the ground at the edge of the river, his hands balled into fists as he punched the ground angrily.

"Jazz... it's alright." I didn't know what else to say and he didn't respond, his actions still frustrated.

"Jazz..."

"Alice... don't." he interrupted me and I knelt down beside him, wanting to comfort him.

"I nearly killed Bella's father Alice. I don't belong here with you."

**A/N: Poor Jasper... he's such a strong character but so such a softy too. It's been a while since my last update and again my apologies... I'm really trying to get better at updating but things are really busy IRL. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And just a hint: the more reviews I get the better I tend to be at updating :)**

_*** As always, Stephenie Meyer owns twilight, and I own nothing. Rated M to be safe, will probably get juicier the longer that this story goes on. **_


	8. Eight

"_**Jazz..."**_

"_**Alice... don't." he interrupted me and I knelt down beside him, wanting to comfort him.**_

"_**I nearly killed Bella's father Alice. I don't belong here with you." **_

"Jasper Whitlock!" I demanded and my mate looked up at me in surprise, the fierceness of my voice surprising even me. "I know it's been a difficult adjustment to you... and I know there are going to be some times where it gets harder. There might even be times where you slip up and kill a human again." He was looking up at me, his gaze revealing a variety of emotions that I couldn't quite separate. "But you belong wherever I am and if you don't think you are ready to be back here, then say the word and we'll leave until you are ready. But listen to me now... if you think that adjusting to this lifestyle was easy for any of us then you are wrong. We've all had our difficulties with it at times and there were times when most of us have slipped and made mistakes." My voices softened and his eyes were locked on mine as I moved in closer to him, my hands finding their way to his shoulders, holding him in the perfect position to plant a tender but firm kiss on his lips.

"I love you Alice," they were more than words as I felt it flood the area around us, my own love for him replicating and coming back, an endless circle that engulfed us completely and turned the sour mood nearly giddy.

Whenever I kissed Jasper I got this feeling, this knowledge that with him I was complete, a belonging unlike anything I had ever felt before. And the more I kissed him, the more I knew that it would never be enough.

My hands would never get enough of his silky hair, the way it felt when I wound my fingers through it, grabbing it roughly to pull his neck back to kiss his face, his jaw, his throat. My ears could never get enough of his tender voice, the thick accent more pronounced during these intimate times when he would practically yell my name out loud. My body craved his touch, his fingers, his hands, our bodies impossibly close but not quite ever close enough. And I craved the feeling of touching him, of kissing and tracing every inch of his skin, but especially the scars that he was so sensitive about. I felt a strong need when I was with him in this way to assure him that I loved him... I loved all of him, who he is and who he was. And every time that I was able to convince him just a little more of the truth to my words and actions I felt his love for me swell even more.

"How do you do that Alice?" We were still at our spot by the river, only now we were trying to find some sort of clothing scraps to cover up with before returning to the house.

"Do what?" I asked innocently and jumped up on his back, forgetting the clothes – it was hopeless, they were completely destroyed.

"Make me feel normal... maybe even a little bit human. How do you do that?" He pulled me off his back and onto his front, planting another deep kiss on my lips and I growled softly. "You are normal... maybe not human exactly... but none of us are. We all have faults Jasper, you have to stop being so hard on yourself." I was trying not to lecture him but it broke my heart to hear him talk about himself as though he was some sort of demon.

"If we need to leave Jazz..." I began but he cut me off, shaking his head once and then leaning down to kiss me again.

"No, we don't need to leave. I do need to hunt though before we return to the house." he looked down at the way we were still standing, my legs circled around his waist, both of us completely naked and I felt his amusement waft towards me a spark of laughter breaking through at the sight.

"How exactly do you plan to hunt?" I asked in mock seriousness, already knowing what his answer was going to be.

"Why completely naked of course!" he exclaimed and then he had pulled me off his chest and thrown me back onto his back, taking off and running deeper into the forest to find his prey.

Hunting with Jasper was one thing. There was no denying that he was graceful and sleek in his methods, taking out his prey quickly and doing his best to ensure that the animal wouldn't suffer any more than necessary. It was always something that sparked a fire in me and made me want him. But hunting with him naked was even more glorious as I watched his skin reflect the sun, millions of tiny diamonds sparkling in the light as he drank greedily from the creature, his eyes raised to mine, watching me as he fed.

He had barely taken his last pull of blood before I pounced on him. He was my prey now and I was his predator.

–

"Gee, I wonder why Alice and Jasper came in through their bedroom window instead of from down here?" Emmett's voice feigned innocence and was as obnoxious as always. I tried to ignore it as I hunted through the closet for yet another set of clean clothes. This wasn't how I had intended to reunite with the family – sneaking in through the upstairs window and getting dressed after our afternoon in the woods. But there really wasn't any other option now unless we wanted to come in through the main doors stark naked. I shook my head at the thought, a brief flare of jealousy bursting through at the thought of anyone else seeing my mate in his birthday suit.

"What was that about?" he whispered curiously as I threw him a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I rolled my eyes and gave him a never-mind look that he shrugged off and I watched him pull his shirt on over his head, his muscles flexing invitingly as he did so. I shook my head to rid myself of the fantasies that nearly made me forget where we were, the family that was waiting for us downstairs and turned back to the closet, quickly dressing myself before coming out and preparing to face them.

"Bella's here." Jasper spoke so quietly I barely heard him as I took his hand and led him out of the room, squeezing gently to let him know that I had faith in him.

"You'll be fine." I whispered just before we reached the landing.

"Alice!" Emmett's booming voice reached me before his arms and I was yanked up into the air, my hand nearly taking Jasper's arm off as Emmett swung me around in a circle. "Do you forgive me Alice?" he yelled loudly but it was still soft somehow, like a child needing to hear that he wasn't in trouble anymore.

"Put me down Emmett." I said firmly and watched as his face lost it's happy smile and he set me on my feet, returning immediately to Rosalie's side.

The room was quiet as we walked awkwardly into the middle and crossed over to the sofa, Jasper's hand tightening in mine – to reassure me or himself I wasn't sure but I squeezed his back anyways.

"Bella sit down." Edward's low command surprised me slightly as my gaze wandered across the family, everyone sitting quietly waiting for someone to make the first move. Bella had stood up though and I was happy to see that she no longer had the heavy cast on her leg and her steps only held a small trace of a limp from the awful break that she had suffered.

Bella didn't sit back down, turning to briefly send a glare at Edward, an angry look that must have told him that she wasn't going to back down. I felt Jasper stiffen beside me as she got closer to us and tried to send him my love and trust with my emotions.

"I'm glad you're back Alice... I missed you!" she spoke to me softly and looked sheepishly to Jasper before directing her next comments to him, "I want to welcome you here Jasper since I didn't get a chance to really talk to you before you left before. I hope that I can get to know you better and I hope that you can forgive me for making everyone so over-protective when it comes to me." she paused again and I saw a small smile creeping up on Jasper's face. I hoped that her speaking directly to him would help his confidence, his feelings of acceptance in to my life.

"Thank you Bella," he replied awkwardly and she looked back at me, a wide smile on her face before she turned and went back to Edward who practically yanked her back to his side, his body hovering partially in front of hers.

"Are you back here for good? You aren't leaving again, are you?" It appeared that Bella was the only one comfortable enough to speak and when she spoke again it was much more relaxed and the rest of the family seemed curious about my answer to her question.

"Jasper looked at me, his unease still hitting me hard. I wanted him to be comfortable here and now was the time for me to get my demands out, the answer to Bella's question dependent on what they would be willing to compromise.

"I missed you guys... all of you," I sent a pointed look in Edward's direction and I called his name mentally, urging him to actually listen to what I had to say. "Jasper is a part of my life now though and as much as I want to stay here, to resume my place in our family... I need you all to understand that things have changed, Jasper and I are a packaged deal and if you can not accept him then we will leave again." I paused and saw the entire family looking at me nervously, I knew that Carlisle and Esme were already much more open and accepting of Jasper but Edward and Emmett worried me.

"Emmett?" I prompted softly when nobody spoke, the heavy silence in the air weighing on my heart. He took a moment to answer, his shoulders shrugging and a familiar childish expression taking it's place on his face.

"Sorry for the way we acted before man," he apologized lightly and I relaxed slightly, knowing that for the most part Emmett was easy going and once he made up his mind about something that was it. "Finally someone to take on in a fight who won't cheat!" Carlisle chuckled softly at his remarks and I felt Jasper smile lightly from beside me.

"It wouldn't be fair to embarrass you like that Emmett, you wouldn't last ten seconds in a fight with me..." I could hear the light tone in his voice and knew that Jasper was trying to relate to Emmett a little bit. Emmett didn't see it that way though and bounded up quickly, his excitement making Rosalie sigh in frustration. "You're on man!" he declared and the rest of the room was now chuckling at his exuberance.

"Later Emmett," Jasper promised him and I Emmett's face turned instantly to a pout that only lasted seconds as he sat down, flexing his biceps once before Rosalie yanked his arm down and grabbed his hand.

The room once again became awkward and silent, everyone looking in Edward and Bella's direction. I was about to prompt my brother when Jasper took me off guard and spoke first.

"Edward, I want to assure you that I will not harm your mate."

"You can't know that. You are still too new to this diet and after the way that you reacted earlier, I can not trust you to be near Bella." Edward interrupted cruelly and Jasper's head hung down, his guilt about the earlier incident with Charlie obvious.

"Edward!" Esme admonished but he didn't budge, his face still cold as he stared at Jasper and I, Bella's face flushing red as she pulled away from her mate angrily.

"He walked away Edward, he left my dad alone even though he was tempted." Bella was practically yelling now and she had come back over to where Jasper and I were sitting, standing directly in front of us. Edward looked like he was about to jump up and carry her out of the room at any second. "Have you never been tempted by me Edward? Even when I'm _not _bleeding you have had thoughts of taking my life... so don't be so hard on Jasper. I'm sure that this has been a huge change for him and he did remarkably well considering that Charlie was bleeding so close to him." she was ranting now and it took not only me but everyone by surprise when she reached down and wrapped her arms around Jasper in a quick hug, her face brilliantly red with both embarrassment and anger.

I saw Jasper swallow a mouthful of venom and his hand never let go of mine, but he wasn't as stiff as I would have expected by her decision to hug him and I was feeling even more proud of him than before.

"Bella what are you..."

"Edward look. Jasper is right in front of me and while I don't know enough about him and my senses tell me that he can be very dangerous... I trust Alice and as a result I trust that Jasper won't hurt me. You're an empath right Jasper?" she was still practically ranting and he nodded his head at her question, his face slightly confused by her sudden change of course. "So... you feel their thirst too?" she asked and I knew instantly where she was going with this. He nodded his head again and I could have sworn that Edward's face drained even whiter than normal as he realized how tempting she must be to Jasper right now.

"So I'm standing here in front of you Jasper and you feel your own thirst and everyone else's as well... Edward's as well?" she prompted and he once again nodded cautiously, swallowing thickly as he thought about it. Discussing his thirst while she was this close to us was probably not the best thing and she must have realized this, crossing back across the room and standing by the window.

The room remained silent, Edward for once speechless and I couldn't control the small smirk that crossed my features as I thought about how strong Jasper really was. How amazing he was to be able to put up with not only his own thirst around Bella but all of ours as well, simply because I asked him to stay here with me. I was in awe of him.

"So Alice," Carlisle cleared his throat after several more minutes of silence and I turned my head to him, seeing what he was going to ask before he was able to get the words out.

"Are you returning to school with the others next week?"

**A/N: A bit of a boring – but IMO necessary chapter. This story picks up again in the next chapter. I hope you've enjoyed if you like it please R & R so I know!**

*** As always, Stephenie Meyer owns twilight, and I own nothing. Right now this is still rated M for safety, might still get even more juicy as the story goes on. **


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